Cotton-harvester.



H. s. GREENE. COTTON HALWES'IFRlv APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1911.

1,057,236. I Patented Mar25, 1913.

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H. S. GREX'NB.v

UTTON HARVESTER.

, APPLICATION rILBD mns', xgu'.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

mmg; 92 aww? l Alformg' H, S. GREENE. COTTON HARVESTER APPL'tcATxoN FILED MAYzs, 19u,

f'atented Mar. 25, 1913.

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H. GREENE. GoTToN HARVESTER AIPLIGATION FILED MAY-25, 1911.

1,057,236, Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

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W/TNESSES /NVENTOR HARRY s. GREENE, or wooNsocKn'r, Brione ISLAND.

COTTONTHARVESTER.

To ali 'whom/t may concern:

Be it known that L'HARRY S. GREENE, citizen of ther United States, residing at 'Woonsockeh in vthe county of Providence e and State of Rhode Island, have invented new and useful Improvementsinf Cotton- Y la@ Harvesters, of which the following` is' a specification. f

My present-invention pertainsto cotton harvesters; and it has for its general objectto provide a cotton harvester embodying means that is adapted during the travely of the machine past cotton plants, toi-each intothe plants and take hold of the cotton and then move out of the-plants, with the gathered cotton, at the points -of entry, all after manner of inserting a hand straight among .the bells, gathering the cotton and then drawing the hand with the gathered cotton outof the plant at the place of insertion. 0 1

The invention also contemplates the provision of means for removing the gatheredcotton from the-'gathering means of the machine and depositing the cotton so removed in a receptacle or receptacles carried by the machine, thereby keeping the gathering' means clear at all times and in that way' maintaining the e'lciency thereof. n

To the attainment of the aforesaidgeneral object, the invention consists broadly in an upright or a horizontally-disposed drum rotatable about its upright or its horivzontally-disposed axis, portable meansmc'arw r in the said drum, one or a plurality,

` preferably the latter, of upright or horizontally-disposed gathering rolls carried by .the drum and rotatable about their respective axes therein, and means for rotating the gathering rollsabout their saidv axes incidental to the rotation of the drum about its axis.

The invention also consists broadly in the combination with the means stated, of a receptacle,l and means for removing the gathered cotton from the gathering roll or rolls and bringing about the deposit of the same in the receptacle.

The invention further consists in the peculiar and advantageous machinev hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in some of the claims appended.

In the accompanying drawings which are hereby madea part hereof: Figure -1 is a longitudinal-vertical section of the cotton y specification ofiettefs' Patent. .PatentedM' I Application filed May 25,1911. Seria1No.629,262. L i* harvester constituting the best` practical em-A bodiment 'of my, invention that Iv have as yet devised; the same being taken' on the tion takenon the line 22 of Fig. 1 and showing some of the parts in elevation. Fig. 3 1s a view, partly in plan and partly vin horizontal section, with the top plate removed. Fig. i is an enlarged detail plan showing one of the drums, its gathering rolls and driving connections. Figs- 5 and 6 are .fragmentary vertical sections the same, 'hereinafter specifically referred to. Fig. 7 isa broken vertical section, hereinafter specifically adverted to, showing a, modification in which the drum o-r drums and the gathering rolls are arranged to rotate about horizontal or approximately horizontal axes. 'Fig-8 is a|` detail 'longitudinal vertical section 4of the saine.

Similar numerals of yreference designate corresponding parts in Figs. 1-6 of the drawings. f

The present embodiment of my invention is of themotor-vehicle'type, though it is to be understood' that the machine may be horse-drawn or maybe moved fin any other manner consonant with the purpose of my invention without involving'departure from the .scope of the same as claimed.

In' Figs. 1-6, the machine comprises a line 1-1- of Fig. 3. Fig. 2 isa detail sec- 1 and forward wheels-2; the forward wheels --being carried by' horizontally-swinging knuckles that are pivoted at 4 to the main frame, and are connected together through' cross-bar 5, Figs. 1 and f3. Onevof the knuckles 3 is provided with a rearwardlydirected arm 6. To the said arm ,6 is pivoted at 7 a rod 6 to which is pivoted a horizontallyfswinging crank 8' on a vertical shaft 9, thelatter being journaled in the" main frame and being provided with a spurgear` 10 that is intermeshed with a similar gear 11 on an upright shaft 12 through the medium of which the machine is steered.

v`The forward portion-13 of the main frame is arched, ,asbest shown in Fig. 1, to enable it to pass over `orstraddle cotton plants during the travel of the machine. In addition -to'the said fo-rward portion 13, the'main frame comprises a transverse engine-support 14 suitably fixed'y with respect to the forward portion 13,'and asingportio'ns 1,5 suitably connected'together atj16, Figs. 1

in construction, a detailed 't1-ated and Vand v3, and iixed with respect to the portions 13 and 14:, and disposed at opposite sides of and extending in rear of the latter.

As will be seen by comparisonv of Figs. 1 and 3, receptacles 17 for cotton are provided in the casing portions 15, which receptacles have openings 18 of adequate area in their inner walls. In each-receptacle 17 and protruding in devices, and as thesaid devices are identical description of the one shown in Fig.l 1, in the upper portion of Fig. 3 and in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, will suflice to impart a definite understanding of both. Thg device referred to comprises a suitably mounted upright or approximately upright drum 19, and upright or approximately upright'gathering rolls 20 carried by the drum and grouped about the center thereof and mounted by preference between the heads of the drum and at points adjacent the perimeters of said heads aswill be understood by comparison of Figs. 1 and 3.- Eaclrof the said rolls 2O is provided with a plurality of 'fingers :2,1 adapted to take hold of cotton and remove the same from the bolls of plants, and I would here have it understood that the said fingers 21 may be of any description or type consonant with t-he purpose of my invention without involving departure from the scope of the same as claimed. In the illuspreferred embodiment, however,- the ngers 21 are suitably barbed, as at 22, to enable them to take-positive hold of the cotton, and are journaled in the rolls 20, which are in the form of hollow cylinders, Fig. G. It will also .be seen by reference to Fig. 6 that each roll 2() loosely surrounds and is rotatable about-a shaft Q3 held against rotation in the heads of thedrum 19, and that fixed on the shaft 23 are miter gears 24C with which are intermeshed miter gears S25a on the inner ends of the rotatable lingers 21. From this it followsthat as each roll 20 is rotated about its complementary shaft 23 held lagainst rotation in the heads ofthe drum,

around 1n horithe fingers 21 will be carried zontal planes withthe roll 20 and at the same time will be rotated about their axes in the roll 20 and .in that way enabled to effectually take hold of the cotton in the' bolls of plants. Each roll 20 is provided near its upper end with aspur gear 25, and within the group of spur gears 25 and intermeshed therewith, Fig. 4, is a comparatively large spur gear 27. This large spur gear 27 is carried by the rotary shaft 28 upon which the drum 19 is loosely mounted and about which said drum is designed to be rotated. The shaft 28 has fixed on itsupper end a miter gear 29, and the upper head of the drum is provided with an upstanding sleeve 30 which terminates at its upper end ina miter gear 31.

It will be understood from the foregoing part through the opening 18-A thereof is one of my novel cotton gathering arranged as shown,

the rolls 2O which are carried around by the t drum, are rotated about their axes, and the tingersQl are carried around with said rolls 20. `By 4virtue of the said provision and especially when the rolls 2() are rotated in reverse direction to the drum 19 as indicated by arrows in Fig. 3, and which is the preferred mode, it will be seen that asthe driven drum and driven rolls thereof are moved past a cotton plant, the fingers 21 will be caused to enter the foliage of the plant, take hold of cotton in the bolls of the plant and draw the cot-ton out of the pla-nt at substantially the points of entry of the lingers, all in much the same manner as a person reaching his hand straight in among the bolls gathering the cotton and then drawing the hand and cotton gathered therein out of the plant at the place where vthe hand was inserted. From this it follows that the drum equipped and operated as describedT is possessed of high etliciency in the picking of cotton from plants as the drum is moved along in close proximity to the plants.

When I say that the drum 19 may be either upright or approximately upright, I mean that it may be placed in vertical position or may be inclined to aslight extent from the vert-ical, the latter arrangement being resorted to when deemed expedient or advantageous in order to better adapt the drum to the general outline of the plants past which it is moved.

IVhen desired, only one drum may be e1nployed, and the said drum and its lingerbearing roll or rolls may be rotated in the manner described by any suitable means, without involving departure from the scope of my claimed invention. I prefer, however, in order to increase the capacity of the machine and conduce to economy-in the operation thereof to employ two drums relatively and therefore adapted to simultaneously operate at opposite sides of the cotten plants in a row while the machine is moved along and over the said row. I also prefer to rotate the drums 19 and the rolls Q0 thereof by the means hereinbefore specifically described, in combination with the mechanism best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and which mechanism omprises an internal combustion engine 35 mounted on the frame portion 14 and having a shaft equipped with a conventional speed-changing device 3G and a conventional clutch 37 for establishing a'nd interrupt-ingconnection between the engine shaft and a shaft 3S nl ned with said engine shaft, transverse shafts 39 conneeted through a' conventional equalizer 40 with the shaft 38; gears 41 surrounding the r is are @parte with @hand lever 4.5; Figs. aidvspeed-changing devices maar levers b nipulati'ng'theflevers 45 and 46,' the driver is uenabledto" vary the speeds of the drums 19 andjth gatheringrolls 20, as occasion dei' f `f ,2, is the top' plate of the `mach1n`e frame: The said top plate is are o 'rangedl'cmandsuitably connected to the casing fp'c'rtinsv 15,a nd serves to carry the le' f vers 45and`t46and the drivers seat47, as

e "well as the upperbearing 51 of the steering '25* shaft' 1,2. A driving connection is provided u between one-lof the shafts 39` and oneof the shafts 6Qon1 which the wheelsl of the may chine arelmounted; the said connection inzcludinga ,sprocket gear 61 fixed on' the shaft 60, a sprocket gear 62 surrounding the inentioned shaftl 39,', a belt 63 .Connecting 'the gear`s62 and- 61,' and fa conventional speed- `changing device 64 interposed`between the shaft 39 and "the'gear 62 andactuable by a 35.19%? 65,'Figs. 2 and 8.'

The speedlclhanging devices per se arez conventional andlform no part'of my' present invention, and since the may be -employed 4oromitted without a ecting myin-V .vention, I have deemed it unnecessary to illustrate them in detail. y e l Y i Any suitable means may be employed for removing the gathered' cotton from the:

'fingers' 21 of the rolls 20 without involving departure from the scope of my claimed invention. prefer, however, to employ for the said purpose, the upright or approximately upright strippers 70 which are in,

, i the form of rotary brushes through the bris- 19 rotate. The s aid strippers 70 are mounted in the rear portions of the ,receptacles 17 and are rotated from the shafts 39 through the medium of sprocket gears 72 on said shafts 39, intermediate horizontal shaft-s 73, sprocket gears 74 thereon, sprocket belts 75 connecting the gears 72 and the' gears 74 and miter gears 76 on theshafts 73,' intermeshed with miter gears`77 on the shafts of receive it.

,grpesedbejtwee the Shafts e9 'annate .ge-arse..

yed` with a@ similar lever 46', eing within convenient reach' of theldriverof the machine when on the tles of which the fingers 21 pass as the drumsthe strippers. The cotton removed by 'the strippers 70` from the fingers 21 of the It willbe materially advantageous under some conditions to .have the drumV or drums and the gathering rolls' carried thereby ro' tat-e'aboutl horizontal or substantially hori-y Qzont'al axes. For instance withk the drum .or

drums and gathering-rolls arranged horizon vod tal or approximately liiizontalv each Jdrum is' enabled' tosp'an several rows' of "cotton plants insuch manner as to adapt the'iingers on the gathering rolls to. reach downl into the plants from above the same and take the cotton from bolls with the same motion as before described withjrefeirence toI Figs..1 to 6. Moreover with the horizontal or substantially horizontal arrangement of drum or drums yand gathering rolls, the rows of plants can be placed quite close together and the passages between plants canbearranged a considerable distance apart to bring about increased acreage of production. l

Wit-h the foregoing in' mind I have devised the embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 7 and 8, referring to which: 8953i? are transverse shafts designed to be connectedwith and driven by a motor in the 'same manner as the shafts 39 before' described.v In ,addition to the shafts '39a the embodiment of Figs. 7 and 8 -comprises suitably-m unted` horizontal kor approxi` mately horizontal drums 19a and ho'riz'ontal or approximately horizontalV gathering rolls 208L carried by the vdrums andgrouped about thecenters thereof and mounted by preference between thel heads of the drum, as shown.l "Each `of the said rolls 2.0a is pro# vided witha'plur'ality of 'cotton-taking fingers 21,a which may be of any vsu'itz'ible de- 'scription4 'The said fingers `21a maybe fixed to the ,rolls '20a or else may bemounted in their respective rolls and rotated about ltheir "axes incident-al' to the rotation of the rolls about' their axes', .by the means shovwn'spe` cifically`in-Fig- 6. Each roll 2Oa is provided near its inner end with ka spur gear 425, and within the group of spur gears 25a and' intermeshed therewith, Fig. 7, is acomparatively large spur gear 27a. The spur gears 27 are' lcarried by rotary shafts 28a upon which the drums 19a are-loosely mounted and about which said drums are designed to be rotated.' The shafts .28 have fixed on their inner ends sprocket gears 29a, and the inner heads of the drums are provided with sleeves 30a whichterminate at their inner ends in sprocket gears 31%. The lshafts 39EL are equipped. with sprocket gears 4:1a connected. through belts 41b with the sprocket g'ears $31a of the 'druins 19a; sprocket gears' 42a surrounding the shafts 39y and connected through belts .42h with the gears 29a; conventional speed-changing devices 43 interposed between the shafts 39a and the gears 41a and designed 'to be operated in the same manner asthe'devices 43 of Figs. 1-3 and conventional speed-changing devices 44 interposed between "the Shafts 39a and the `gears 42a and designed to bei operated in vthe 'same 'manner as the devices 44 of' Figs. 1-3.

Itv will be gathered from the foregoing that as the embodiment shown in Figs. 'T and 8 is moved along between cotton plants at opposite sides of its path, the drums will overhang the cotton plants, and as the drums are rotated about their axes, the gathering rolls will be rotated about their' axes, andthe fingers 21a -Will reach from above the .plants down into the plants and take hold of the cotton and Will then move out. of the plants, withthe gathered cotton, at the points of entry in the manner before Nmentioned-z'. e., aft-er the manner of inserting ahand straight among the bolls, gathering the cotton and then .drawing the .hand with the gathered cotton out of the plant at the placent insertion.

Like the embodiment shown in Figs. l to 6the embodiment shown in Figs. 7 and 8 may comprise one drum or aplurality of drums. I would also have it understood that in either embodiment' ot my invention Vstri ers 7() or an other suitable means may. be employed to remove' the gathered cotton from the fingersA of the gathering rolls; the salient feature of my invention residing in a cotton harvester comprising a drum rotating about an axis, and gathering devices or rolls equipped with gathering means and carried bythe drum and operating about axes independent of theldrum axis,

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

I 11. A cotton harvester comprising portable f'means, a drum carried thereby and rotatable about an axis, means for so rotating'the drum, cotton gathering rolls carried by the drum, a plurality of lingers carried by and grouped about each roll; said lingers being constructed to gather cotton. and means for rotating the said lingers about. their axes during rotation ot the rolls.

2. A cotton. harvester comprising portable means, a drum Carried thereby and rotatable about an axis, cotton gathering rolls carried by the drum and grouped about the center thereof and rotatable independently oi the drum through complete circles about axes of their own, said axes of the rolls being parallel to the axis et the drum, means for rotating said rolls .through complete eircles about axes of their own during rotation of the drum, a circular series oi fingers carried by each roll; each of said fingers being provided with barbs extending laterally therefrom, means for rotating the said fingers through complete circles about. axes of their own during rot-atioi'i ot the drum and the rolls, a rotaryv stripper carried by the portable means for removing the gathered cotton from the lingers ot the gathering rolls, means itor rotating said stripper through a complete circle during rotation of the drum, rolls and fingers, and means also carried by the portable means tor receiring the cotton so removed.

In testimony Whereot I have hereunto setmy hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY S. G-ll RENE.'

Vtvitnesses:

FRANCES L. Corin, Pn'inn Corn. 

